The secret to crack case competitions revealed by the girl who aced L’Oréal Brandstorm, Myntra Stylebiz, Vodafone_VOIS, and Godrej LOUD

"For those who say competitions don’t fetch PPI-PPO, trust me they do. Both my internship at Godrej Consumer Products and placement at L’Oréal have been through competitions and I couldn’t be more grateful. But again, I never entered a competition with the intent of getting anything out of it but learning." Are you curious as to how this happened? Read what Aakriti Bansal from IMT Ghaziabad has to say about cracking B-School case competitions.

With the new MBA batch of 2023 coming in, I can feel the same excitement, enthusiasm, and insecurity that we went through at the beginning of our first year. And the pandemic did little to lessen our fears. What makes it better is the optimism with which we all enter our B-School journeys to make a difference in our lives. Hence, inspired by all the curious juniors who have some excellent questions, especially about case competitions, I have penned down my experience here in the hope that they might help some of you. And me, in my second year.

Before we start, let me quote Colin Powell, ‘There are no secrets to success. It is a result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure’.

My journey in reaching podiums for some of the greatest B-School competitions like Godrej LOUD, Mahindra Rise, Myntra Stylebiz, Vodafone_VOIS, and L’Oréal Brandstorm, has been nothing less than a roller-coaster ride. However, it is not these victories that make this journey extraordinary but those 20 other competitions that I lost and the sweat I have invested in preparing for them. 

It’s all about the team!

‘No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.” -H.E. Luccock, a prominent American Methodist minister

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships” -Michael Jordan, (needs no introduction!)

These are two of my favorite quotes that rightly capture the essence of what I am about to say. It’s all about the team. Competitions at B-Schools are less of individual games and more of a long battle that takes time to conquer. And it is only when you have a great team, that you bond well with, that you can think about embarking on this two-year-long dedicated journey of participating in case competitions. 

Hence, a team must have the right mix of people, who want the same thing in their journey. You can be an FMCG or tech enthusiast, but it is important to want the same thing because it helps you narrow your focus in the long run and share the same enthusiasm. 

Here are some types of people you should team up with:

1. Proactive and hardworking beasts
2. Ideation over-enthusiastic ones (me)
3. Motivators - Martin Luther Kings of tomorrow
4. Finance/Marketing/Tech enthusiasts
5. Market Researchers (they go on to become your backbone)
6. Sherlocks with an eye for detail

And as many ask, to form one, ironically, you would need to experiment with various combinations of teams. So don’t hesitate to reach out to people and start collaborating. Just remember, an MBA is all about collaboration and not competition.

It’s all about learning! Not PPI, not PPO but learning

I have seen many students enter competitions with the thought of winning, getting PPIs and PPOs or money. But when they lose a couple of competitions, they get demotivated because these factors are not met. This is the tipping point. 

However, if you enter the competitions with the intent of learning, you will never lose motivation. Because, whether you get something or not, learning is constant, it is bound to be there. And if that motivates you, you will keep participating and keep getting better and probably win someday. 

And for those who say competitions don’t fetch PPI-PPO, trust me they do. Both my internship and placement have been through competitions and I couldn’t be more grateful. But again, I never entered a competition with the intent of getting anything out of it but learning. 

More so, my learnings from these case competitions have even helped me with my internship at Godrej Consumer Products. So, let us try and see the bigger picture. An investment in learning pays the best interest. 

Simon Sinek says in his bestseller ‘Start with Why’, what you do can change but why you do it can never change. Let me introduce you to the golden circle:

This circle shall remain applicable for all spheres of your life, as a student, employee, or leader. Why you do what you do is exactly what will help you build a personal brand and also progress in the right direction. Let learning become your ‘why’.  

It's all about the consumer problem

Contrary to popular beliefs, more than a solution, it is about the problem. What is it that you are trying to address and how much significance it hold in the real world? It is very easy to give ambitious ideas but when it comes to seeing their feasibility and authenticity in real-life scenarios, most of us fail to understand that ideas hold no relevance until backed by consumer problems and issues. It is this problem that makes your offering relatable to the people that is priceless for a company. 

The above image describes the chronology of approaching a case competition and the amount of time to be dedicated to each step. The ideal break-up of time would be anywhere around the ratio of 60:30:10. 

Do not fall into the trap of falling in love with an idea on paper that does not resonate with your target consumer. Identify your consumers and dig deeper into their pain points. And finally, when you get some solution, don’t obsess over it. Be flexible to change it when required. Because more so, change is the only constant.  

And finally, I leave you to learn more from your journeys with a thought, ‘Enjoy the journey and do what you love. Soon, you will be loving what you do every day.’

In case of any more questions, please feel free to drop them in the comment section, will get back to you asap. Adios!

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